“They must be pre-booked. This particular gentleman drove off empty after the ‘confrontation’.”

The legislation states ride share drivers can only pick up a passenger who has made a booking.

However, the Uber driver claimed he did have a booking but they did not show up.

Mr Coleman said he could accept ride share services operating as long as they played by the rules.

He listed the services provided by taxi drivers in the Illawarra – taking special needs children to and from school, carrying senior citizens’ groceries to the door and delivering urgent blood specimens to the hospital.

Mr Coleman did admit there were some “bad apples” in the Wollongong taxi industry but said “the vast majority of cabbies are decent, hard-working people”.